


fought the fight

by weatheredlaw



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Implied Relationships, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-01-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 19:42:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5838415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weatheredlaw/pseuds/weatheredlaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He doesn’t smile much anymore. He should probably work on that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	fought the fight

“Yugi. _Yugi._ ” A snort, a grumble and swear. “You awake?”

“I am _now_.” Yugi sits up on the bottom bunk of the bed in their little train cabin. Joey’s upside down face hangs in front of him. Yugi yawns. “What’s up?”

“Can’t sleep.”

“Yeah, I can tell.” Yugi’s exhausted, but if Joey is waking him up in the middle of the night just to chat, then it must mean he has something to say. Yugi takes the bait. “Something on your mind?”

Joey makes a face, funnier when it’s upside down, and Yugi snorts again. “Hey, you smiled!”

“I smile.”

“Sure, Yug.” The train gives a little jolt – Joey exhales loudly, makes a noise, and falls right off his bunk. Yugi laughs again, and realizes Joey’s right –

He doesn’t smile much anymore. He should probably work on that.

“I’m okay.” Joey gets up sitting cross-legged on the floor and resting his chin on Yugi’s bed. “You look tired.”

“I’m awake,” he insists, because it would be hard _not_ to be, after that. “You look tired, too, you know.”

“It’s all this traveling. I mean, I’m glad to do it, but.” Joey trails off. “I wanna go home, after this next one.”

Yugi nods. “Okay. I’ll tell Pegasus.”

“And then I wanna…stay home. For a bit. It’s summer, I know, I just—”

“You don’t have to explain yourself,” Yugi says quietly.

“Not to you,” Joey agrees, and smiles broadly.

How envious he is, Yugi realizes. He reaches out without thinking, and brushes his thumb along the curl of Joey’s mouth.

“Yug.”

“Huh? _Oh._ Sorry, I—”

Joey scratches the back of his neck. “I know we haven’t…talked about it.”

“We don’t have to.”

“Yeah, but it’s _you._ You want to, because you’re good at talkin’ about everything. I’m…not, Yug.”

Yugi lays back on his pillow, staring up at the underside of the bunk. “It’s okay, Joey. Just…go back to sleep.”

“Can’t.”

Yugi scowls. “Can’t, or won’t?”

“Eh, probably both.” And with a little push, Joey launches himself into Yugi’s bunk, curling up next to him. “Make room, yeah?”

“ _Joey._ You _have_ a bunk.”

“Yeah, but this one’s already warm.”

“ _Joey._ ”

“Just…how about we do this, tonight. Instead of…talkin’ about it.”

Yugi gives him a weak smile. “I don’t think that’s gonna help, Joe.”

“Could help,” Joey says.

“…Alright. Just…try to get some sleep, Joey. Okay?”

“Sure.”

“Seriously.”

“I told you, this bed is warmer than the other one.”

Yugi sighs, curling onto his side, a perfect fit along his friend’s profile.

They rest that way for a while, and Yugi is almost asleep when he hears Joey say, so quietly –

“This one has you in it. So it’s better.”

Yugi pretends to be asleep, but he has to draw back so Joey can’t feel how wide his smile is, right up against his neck.


End file.
